Four wrong ways to prune your trees

Pruning your trees at regular intervals help them stay vibrant and grow strong. Other reasons to prune trees include removing diseased or storm-damaged branches and thinning crown to prepare the tree for new growth, and better circulation.

Pruning your tree may also help lower the tree’s height, remove obstructing branches or simply shape them to different designs.

Your reason for pruning trees may be different. There are good and bad ways to prune trees. Here are some things you should not do when pruning your trees.

1. Do not top trees during pruning

One of the easiest ways to kill your tree is to top them during pruning. This happens when you prune or cut large branches where they meet other large branches or the tree trunk. Topping makes weakly attached limbs grow back higher than the pruned branch. It can also lead to disease or decay due to the stub’s inability to form protective callus.

2. Avoid cutting lateral branches to reduce crown

This is also known as tipping. It occurs when you trim lateral branches between nodes mostly to reduce the width of crowns. Like the practice of topping, tipping could lead to disease and decay of the tree trunk or trimmed branches. It could also create unsightly limb sprouting.

3. Do not cut more than 30 percent of the crown

While you may be tempted to trim more that 30 percent of your tree’s crown, either to prevent them from growing too high or spreading out too far, resist the temptation. Doing so may result in the death of the tree. It could also result in ugly landscape thus lowering the value of your property.

4. Do not cut flush to the trunk or rip branches

Cutting tree branches flush to the trunk or ripping branches away from the trunk will cause tree decay and lower chances for proper healing of the tree trunk.

Contact a certified arborist from Ability Tree Experts today if you are unsure of the proper way to prune trees. Trees on your property are investments. Engage the services of specialists with the right knowledge and technical expertise to keep your trees growing healthy and vibrant.